The Purple Aces played in their quickest game of the year at just over two hours
CHICAGO – The University of Evansville baseball team kept things close through eight innings in the Windy City but didn’t open its series with the UIC Flames with a win on Friday afternoon.
The Purple Aces kept Friday’s game scoreless through five and a half innings, but a three-run bottom of the eighth gave UIC the 4-2 victory. Despite the loss, starting pitcher Kenton Deverman (Dardenne Prairie, Mo. / Fort Zumwalt West HS) had a strong performance through eight innings with only two earned runs, walking one batter, and striking out seven. Seven K’s was Deverman’s best strikeout performance on the mound since his first start of the season at Little Rock on opening weekend.
“Not enough offense to get the job done today,” said Head Coach Wes Carroll following the game. “We were abysmal in the batter’s box with a lot of throw away at-bats today. On a Friday, you have to score more than two runs in this conference. We can’t expect Deverman to throw a shutout, one-run ball. And I thought Deverman was outstanding today. I’m disappointed that we came up here and couldn’t win the game. But we’ve got a chance to take the series on Saturday and Sunday.”
Friday’s game began quickly as both starting pitchers faced the minimum number of batters in the first two innings. The Flames had the first hit of the game with a lead off double in the bottom of the third. UE’s defense stranded the runner in scoring position with three straight outs after the double.
Evansville’s first runner got on board in the next inning with a walk. But the Aces’ first hit didn’t come until the top of the fifth as catcher Matt Flaherty (Lake Zurich, Ill. / Bellarmine) had a single to third. UE wasn’t able to capitalize on the hit as the offense hit into a double play on the next at-bat. It was also a fast bottom of the fifth and top of the sixth on both sides as neither team had a hit nor got a runner past first base.
The 0-0 draw was broken by the home team in the bottom of the sixth. UIC used two singles and a stolen base to score the first run of the series with two outs on the board. Evansville answered right back in the top of the seventh as a lead off single for first baseman Cal McGinnis (Kimberly, Wis. / Bradley) turned into a run two batters later with a double down the left field line from right fielder Harrison Taubert (Casper, Wyo. / Northeast CC).
The Aces kept the Flames from scoring at the bottom of the seventh and took their only lead in the game at the top of the eighth. Second baseman Mason McCue (Bourbonnais, Ill. / Bishop McNamara HS) was walked after UE’s offense began the frame with an out. McCue moved to second on an in-field groundout. He was then brought in on a deep single to left field by designated hitter Brodie Peart (Markham, Ontario) to make it a 2-1 game.
But in the bottom of the eighth, UIC’s offense was able to connect on three hits in seven batters. The Flames’ three hits were through the first four batters to tie the game at 2-2 and have two runners still on base. UIC scored its final two runs of the game on a fielder’s choice and a sacrifice bunt for the winning score as Evansville wasn’t able to get a runner past first in the top of the ninth.
Six Aces batters had a hit each on the afternoon, with Peart and Taubert having the only RBIs. UE also had three batters walk at Curtis Granderson Stadium to get on base nine times. Evansville will try to even the series on Saturday afternoon in Chicag,o with first pitch currently set for 2 p.m.
